GM cancels Opel Vauxhall sale to Magna

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 03 November 2009 22:59 General Motors tonight surprised the world by pulling its proposed sale of its European division – Opel and Vauxhall – to Magna. In a dramatic U-turn, Detroit said 'an improving business environment for GM over the past few months' had made it reappraise its spin-off plans.The 11th hour switch means that GM will still retain full ownership of Opel and Vauxhall, which will now 'be restructured in earnest'. Canadian parts giant Magna had won the race to buy a controlling stake in GM Europe, as a newly relaunched Detroit sought to shore up its finances.

Ram 1500 diesel changes the pickup truck game

It's ironic perhaps that I spent yesterday evening driving a Ford F-150 equipped with the excellent EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 engine. It's got loads of low-end torque and, on paper, its fuel economy is better than that of a comparable gas V8. It even sounds a bit like a diesel…but it isn't.

New 2015 Mercedes S 65 AMG Coupe revealed – price from £183,065

The new 2015 Mercedes S65 AMG Coupe arrives The range-topping Mercedes S65 AMG Coupe has been revealed, and offers up its credentials as the perfect alternative to the Bentley Continental GT W12 with its 621bhp V12 delivering performance of 0-62mph in a 4.1 second whoosh. Even with its AMG badge, the S65 AMG Coupe is probably best thought of as the luxury take on the more aggressive and sporty S63 AMG Coupe – just as the V8 Continental GT is the sporty side of the Bentley Continental range – with its more effortless take on performance and power. There’s no doubt you get plenty of power and torque from the big V12, with 621 bhp and 737lb/ft of torque – driven to the back wheels through Mercedes’ seven-speed Speedshift automatic ‘box – on tap, enough to get to 62mph in 4.1 seconds and on to a 155mph limited top speed – but in a more creamy and effortless way than the S63.